Final draft of 5-year plan out today

Provost Michael Aiken will have few surprises for the University when he releases the final version of the University's five-year plan today. The outline, which differs little from the tentative draft released in October, sets the administration's major goals for research, undergraduate education, doctoral education, professional education, libraries and computing, internationalization and the campus environment for the next five years. Although the report has been in the works for two years and its release long-awaited, the final draft is somewhat anticlimactic, featuring only two minor changes from the October version, both in undergraduate education. The first addition calls for the University to provide undergraduates with greater research opportunities by developing internships, encouraging schools to make research a part of curricula, and assisting undergraduates in their search for research possibilities. The second addition suggests a review of the University's classrooms, calling such a move "a critical first step in the development of plans and funding for new and rehabilitated classroom facilities." The proposed facilities will contain "state-of-the-art technologies and provide supportive teaching environments." The report does not include cost estimates for its proposals. Because of budget constraints, this phase of the plan may not be completed for some time, Aiken said yesterday. While the plan officially takes effect today, Aiken said work on many of the priorities developed in the report started last September. Most recently, the University received city permission to demolish Smith Hall, the site on which administrators plan to build a Science and Technology Institute. The facility was called for in the research section of the plan. Aiken said the October draft was reviewed by the Academic Budget and Planning Committee and by the President's Advisory Group before he finalized it. Among the almost 50 suggestions contained in the study are plans for the construction of five new buildings, including four research facilities and the planned Revlon Center. It lists ways to strengthen the undergraduate curriculum, including reforming the general requirement and increasing freshman seminars. And it calls for bringing in an outside panel to study undergraduate education. The report also encourages faculty members to "engage in mentoring relationships" with graduate students and encourages increased dialogue among graduate schools and professional schools. It provides for the establishment of an Office of Vice Provost for Graduate Education, a position that is expected to be filled this semester. And the extensive plan works to give the University a more international scope by establishing a Provost Council on International Programs, by enhancing foreign language requirements and by increasing the number and scope of area studies programs.

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